Bhanjanagar: The state government has planned big to make Odisha a surplus state in fish production as the state fisheries department decided to harvest fish twice a year by taking up fish cultivation on its 22 acres of unused land here, a report said.
The matter came to the fore during a visit of the state fisheries director Engineer Smruti Ranjan Pradhan to the fingerling production centre at Bhanjanagar in Ganjam, Friday.
Speaking to this correspondent, Pradhan said that fish production has increased in the state as he expressed confidence that Odisha will be a surplus state in fresh water fish production in the country in coming days.
Pradhan said steps are being taken to help fish farmers harvest fish twice a year from their ponds like farmers cultivating paddy on their farmlands.
He said that youths are being particularly motivated to take up fish farming which is going to help in raising fish production.
Incentives and subsidies are being given under various schemes to help farmers carry out fish farming and help in increase in fish production in the state.
Elaborating, he said 50 per cent subsidy is being given on fish food for production of high quality fingerlings per hectare.
Moreover, 50 per cent subsidy is also given on fish food and on infrastructure development to farmers buying fish from CIFA and NFDB for production of fish.
This apart, the government is also providing various facilities to the fish farmers under various schemes. He said the state government aims to increase the per hectare fish productivity in the state to 15 tonne which currently lies at only 4 tonne.
The state government has taken up various schemes with the help of World Fish Centre in Malaysia to help increase fish production in the state.
Under the scheme, the state government has sanctioned Rs 4 crore for upgradation of infrastructure of the fingerling production centre at Bhanjanagar.
He assured that more funds would be sanctioned in coming days to boost fish production in the state. After becoming fully operational, the fingerling production centre at Bhanjanagar will sell fingerlings to fish farmers round the year.
He said steps are being taken for production of high quality fingerlings, manufacturing of fish food and application of modern technology to increase fish production.
He asked the department officials to make use of ponds on the 22 acre unused land owned by the fisheries department in fish production.
Dr Arun Padiyar, World Fish Centre in Malaysia, Pramod Rout, district fisheries head, engineer Sarada Prasanna Sethy, Sarif Ahmed, manager of Bhanjanagar centre accompanied Pradhan during his visit to Bhanjanagar.
PNN
